Portable gear case cleaner



May 14; 1935. J. K. DELANQ 2,001,302

PORTABLE GEAR CASE CLEANER Filed Maron 17. 1934 (j l l l:inventor JamesK. .Delano Patented May 14, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE A PORTABLEGEAR CASE CLEANER James K. Delano, New York, N. Y.

Application March 17, 1934, Serial No. 716,041

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a portable apparatus for cleaning and removingthe old lubricant from gear casings of automobiles or other places wheregearing is run in an oil or grease bath, and where 5 it is desiredtochange the lubricant from time to time.

In the removal of old lubricant from the gear casing of automobiles andthe cleaning of the same preparatory to being refilled, it is in many lcases the practice to place the automobile over a pit or upon a raisedlift, and to place und-er the drain hole of the gear casing, a drain panor funnel that is mounted upon a swinging pipe arm that is secured tothe side of the pit and which leads to a container for the oldlubricant, but while such a drain pan may be located under the drainhole of the gear casing, it cannot be raised or lowered to accommodatethe difference in height of different automobiles between the 0 theposition of the drain funnel and pan.

While it is important that the drain pan be placed` in close proximityto the drain hole in the gear casing so that the lubricant being drainedout will enter the drain pan and not spill over the sides, etc., it hasbeen found that with the present method of injecting compressed air oreven a cleaning uid into the gear casing through the drain hole whichhas to be done by n introducing a service hose into the drain hole, thatthis method requires that the drain pan be spaced far enough away fromthe drain hole to allow of the service hose being introduced between thegear casing and the edge of the drip pan, which will allow of drip andslop of the lubricant.

The object of the present invention is to provide a portable cleaningapparatus that may be mounted in an adjustable relation with the gear4f) easing of a vehicle.

Another object of the invention being to provide means whereby theapparatus may be mounted in close proximity to the drain hole of thegear casing, and the injecting and draining means both contained withinthe apparatus.

Another object is to provide means whereby the air that isinjected intothe gear casing is heated during its passage through the apparatus.

Another object being to heat the old lubricant as it is drainedthroughthe apparatus, to cause it to partly liquefy, and not to clog in thedrainage passage of the apparatus.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in certainnovel construction and combination of parts as will hereinafter be holein the gear casing and the ground level and fully described and claimedand also illustrated in the accompanying drawing which forms a parthereof and in which like figures of reference refer to correspondingparts in all of the views, and it is understood that slight changes maybe made 5 without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 shows a` front elevation of the apparatus, partly in sectionand showing the same as attached to the drip pan of a drain pipe mountedin a greasing pit, overwhich the automobile is placed.

Figure 2 shows a cross section of the same, I taken on the` line 22ofFigure l.

Figure 3 is a cross sectionalview taken on thev line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 shows a view of another form of nozzle member that may beinterchanged with other styles of nozzle members.

Figure 5 shows another type of nozzle member in which several sectionsare pivoted together wd which may be swung into different dir-actions.

Referring to the drawing:

In Figure 1 I have indicated by the numeral I0 the usual drain pan thatis mounted upon the swinging drain pipe I2 which is attached to the sideof the greasing pit, and which may be swung under the gear casing of theautomobile to catch the old lubricant as the same drains out through thedrain hole in the gear casing after the plug has been removed.

The apparatus as herewith shown, comprises a tubular invertedcone-shaped cap I3 which is formed'with a depending flange I4 whichrests 35 upon the upper edge of the drain pan I0, or upon the upper edgeof any drainage funnel, and is detachably secured thereon by the clampsI5 operated by the eccentric hand-levers I6, or other suitable means ofattachment.

The upper part of the cap I 3 is formed with a neck having a flange I'Ifor attachment by the bolts IB to a flange I9 which is formed on thebottom of the tubular member which is also Il i) formed with a neck 2|telescoping into the lower 45 part 22 of the drain funnel 23 andretained in place by the locking device 24 in such a manner that thefunnel 23 may be raised or lowered to bring it into proper operativeposition with respect to the drain hole of the gear casing.

'Ihe body portion of the tubular member 20 is provided with a concentricheating chamber 25 which is spaced from the sides of the body member 20Aby a spider 20 and which is also formed with a dome II having a angedcentral opening 21 within which is secured the lower end of theinjection pipe 28; said pipe 28 being supplied with the coupling 29 forthe threaded nipple 30 to which is detachably secured any one of severaldifferent styles and types of nozzle members 3|, having the nozzle ends32.

The lower end of the heating chamber 25 is provided with a base ofinsulating material 33 within which is molded or otherwise secured asocket 34 for the heating element 35 of the usual type which is threadedtherein and supplied with electrical current by the Wires 36 from thesupply cable 31, one end of which is mounted in said base 33 and leadout through the side ofthe cap I3 and the boss 38, having a plugconnection 39.

The insulation base block 33 is also provided with a pipe 4I throughwhich air is fed to the heating chamber 25 bythe air feed pipe 42 fromsome suitable air pressure device; the air supply pipe 42 beingdetachably secured to the air feed pipe 4| by the coupling 43.

The upper end of the air feed pipe 4I is formed with a ball valve havingthe ball 45 which is in contact with a thermo-metal plate 46 attached tothe base 33 by the screws 41 in such a manner that as this plate 46becomes heated its free end will curve upward and lessen its pressureupon the ball 45 and admit more air to the heating chamber 25.

For retarding the passage of the heated air through the heating chamber25, I have providedthe inner Walls of the chamber 25 with a spiraldeflector 48 which is spaced from the heating element 35 in such amanner that the air enr tering through the pipe 4l and ball valve 45will have to follow the spiral upward, thus being retained longer in thechamber 25 to become heated to a greater degree than if allowed to passfreely upward.

rI'he neck 22 of the body member 20 receives the oid lubricant from thefunnel 23 and conveys it down through the space between the body member28 and the heating chamber 25 to the drain pan I; it being heated andliquefied as it passes down bythe side of the heating chamber 25.

The nozzle member 58 shown in Figure 4 is exible to accommodate a sideopening in a gear casing and other places where a straight nozzle memberwill not readily enter.

Theform of nozzle member shownin Figure comprises several tubular arms52 which are hinged together asat 53, and to a member 52 which isadjustably mounted within a member 5i that may be substituted for any ofthe other forms of nozzle members.

Inthe operation of the device, the funnel 23 having been placed underthe drain hole of the gear casing, and raised into position whereby thenozzle 32 enters through said drain hole; and current having beenapplied to the heater element 35 to heat the chamber 25.

Air is then admitted through the feed pipe 42 and the pipe 4|, enteringthe chamber 25 through the ball valve; the quantity of air admitted andthe rate of admission being governed by the thermostat; the air passingupward and following the spiral 48 to the dome Il, and from there upthrough the injection pipe 28 and through the nozzle member and nozzleinto the gear casing,

thermostat becomes heated.

The old lubricant from the gear casing will drain downward through thefunnel 23, the neck 2| and the passage formed by the body 28 and theheating chamber 25, past the spider legs 26 and into the drain hopperIII.

Having thus described my'invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is: l

l. In a portable cleaning device for gear casings, the combination witha tubular member having a drainage funnel and an injection device, of aheating chamber formed within said tubular member and communicating withthe injection device, a heating means mounted therein and adapted toheat the same, means for feeding air to said heating chamber, means forregulating the rate of such feed, means for retarding the passage of theair through said heating chamber, and means for mounting said cleaningde' vice adjacent to the gear casing.

2. In a portable device forcleaning gear c asings, the combination witha tubular member, an adjustable funnel mounted on the upper end thereofto receive the drainage from the gear casing, a mounting means attachedto the lower end of said tubular member for supporting the same, aheating chamber contained within said tubular member and spacedtherefrom, an electrical heating element mounted within said heatingchamber for heating the same, a 'hot air injecting means communicatingwith said heating chamber and adapted to enter the gear casing, meansfor passing air through said heating chamber, automatic means forregulating the passage of the air, and means for retarding the passageof the air therethrough.

3. In a portable cleaning device for gear casings, the combination witha tubular body having a lubricant receiving end' and a discharge end, aheating chamber mounted within said tubular body, an electricallyoperated heating element for said heating chamber, an injection meanscommunicating with said heating chamber and adapted to enter the gearcasing, means for passing air through said heating chamber, meansactuated bythe temperature of said heating chamber for controlling thevolume of air admitted to said chamber, and means for causing the heatedair to pass slowly through said heating chamber and assume a spiral paththerethrough.

4. In a portable cleaning device for gear casings, the combination witha supporting and drainage means, of a tubular base adapted to bedetachably secured to the supporting means, a

4tubular drainage member secured to said base and in adjustable relationto the gear casing, a tubular member concentric with and mounted within-said drainage member and having a domeshaped upper end forming aheating chamber and provided with an injection nozzle for entering intosaid gear casing, a plug of insulating material for closing the lowerend of said heating chamber, an electrical heating element mountedwithin said heating chamber and detachably within said plug and meansfor energizing the s ame, an air supply pipe for feeding air to saidheating chamber, a control valve for said feeding pipe and meansactuated by the -temperature within said heating chamber for operatingsaid valve.

JAMES K. DELANO.

